Rohan bin Kamis
Singapore
“With the Administration of Muslim Law Act and its successes, the Government has made meritorious contributions for the betterment of the Muslim community of Singapore which will continue to make progress, strongly upholding the principles of Islam, united with its own identity.”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered my query. Would he do a survey and by positive confirmation ask every resident whether he wants the HDB to continue or whether this body corporate should manage the estates? I think this is fair. The other thing is that the HDB has received 4,215 complaints. Agreed.”
“All in all, Sir, I subscribe to a partial withdrawal at 55, and I am suggesting that a partial withdrawal would be substantial enough for the contributors to carry out their plans and the balance of the CPF savings would be sufficient to cater for their needs after their retirement.”
“Here, the usual Singaporean touch of ingenuity and resourcefulness is required. Maybe the concept need to be repackaged to be more attractive and worthwhile to attract these mothers into our labour force again.”
“Sir, can I clarify this? The point is this. The financial arrangements appear to be one-sided. In other words, when CAAS makes more and more profit, there appears to be no provision whatsoever in the Bill to indicate how these surpluses are to be treated and under what circumstances can these funds be recalled for consolidation into the G…”
“This would also cause hazards to the many people who wanted to cross Telok Blangah Road to either take public transport or to go to Sentosa in front of the World Trade Centre. This situation is especially more serious when the seminar or the exhibition ends and every motorist wants to rush back to continue with his business.”
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“This would enable symbiotic relationship to be generated between the motorist and his passenger because car pooling is mutually beneficial. This will also promote neighbourliness. I notice that the experimental car pooling station in Marine Parade is well received. Of course, a necessary study would need to be done to decide where this car pooling bay should be located in Telok Blangah. In this respect, the Residents Committees and the CCC could assist in this study.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to seek some information from the Hon. Minister and to offer a couple of suggestions for his consideration. Stage One of the bus plan for Telok Blangah was implemented in December 1979. This brought some joy to the residents of Telok Blangah in the Depot Road area. In his answer to my oral question on 11th December 1979, the Hon. Minister mentioned that the full new bus plan is expected to be completed by the middle of 1980 with the completion of the bus interchange. Would the Hon. Minister please inform the House as to the progress of the planned implementation of this new bus service which would greatly facilitate transportation for my constituents? Sir, SBS has shown signs of improvement in its services and as it gets more and more expensive to travel by other means of transport, I envisage that more people will travel by bus. It is also in SBS interest to encourage more commuters. For this reason, would the Hon. Minister consider the issue of a monthly season ticket for regular commuters? I understand that special bus passes are issued to shareholders. Since not everyone can be an SBS shareholder for various reasons, a monthly season ticket would be welcomed as it may be cheaper than buying single trip ticket, especially for multiple trips. This will assist not only the SBS but will also contribute to a general improvement all round. For instance, the bus conductors or drivers need not handle tickets. Singapore would be spared the litter of used tickets, and this would encourage more people to travel by bus than by car. While waiting for the new bus plan to be implemented and even after its implementation, I suggest a car pooling bay be introduced in Telok Blangah.”
“With your permission, Sir, I wish to join my colleagues in the debate. In my opinion, the Immigration Department offers an attractive and suitable application for computerisation with a view to increasing its efficiency and productivity. Therefore, I wish to ask the Hon. Minister whether the Immigration Department has computerised its operations and, if not, whether it has plans to do so.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I must thank the Hon. Minister for giving such a lucid clarification. However, I wish to clarify that I did not say that "it was drastic." I said that "it appears to be drastic." Anyway, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $127,381,430 for Head M ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $232,561,210 for Head M ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY REPORTING PROGRESS (Suspension of Standing Orders) 5.46 p.m. With the consent of Mr Speaker and the general assent of Members present, Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, "That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow." - [Mr Chua Sian Chin]. Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Project 8201 of Subhead Code M E-01 of the Development Estimates. Sir, the purpose of moving this amendment is to seek information from the Hon. Minister regarding several items of public interest. Singaporeans have just felt the pinch of increased utility charges of the PUB. This increase, according to the PUB, has been occasioned by the increase in oil prices. Could the Hon. Minister elaborate on the rationale for this increase and the reasons why the increase appears to be so drastic? Knowing that there is every certainty of oil prices going even higher with no chance of their coming down, I am sure the PUB must have thought of alternative sources of energy instead of the current oil-based one. In this respect, could the House be enlightened as to what steps have been taken to examine the various alternatives and the results of these findings; and if any decision has been arrived at? I am sure all Singaporeans would be most interested, especially when public utility is a basic need of every household in Singapore.”
“This money should be held by the People's Association and deposited in the bank by way of fixed deposit. The interest earned on this deposit should be used to pay for the operational expenses of the community centre. In this way, the community leaders will have more time to plan more suitable programmes to meet the needs of the people and so provide a better life for them.”
“Sir, in view of the satisfactory answer, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. Mr Tan Cheng San (Paya Lebar)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code UF-03 of the Main Estimates. Sir, community centres are set up to meet the needs of the community. They are normally located in densely populated areas so that the people will find it convenient to go there after work and take part in the various activities in the community centre. However, in some community centres their activities have been affected by urban renewal, while other community centres have been demolished. Under such circumstances, community centres have not been able to carry out their original tasks. Therefore, the People's Association should consider resiting them so that they can cater to the needs of the community. In an area where there is already a community centre but it is unable to cater to the needs of the people, the People's Association should either re-build it or expand it so that it could adequately meet the needs of the people. But owing to the sharp rise in prices of building materials, it now costs at least $1 million to build a standard community centre. Although a substantial part of the cost is borne by the People's Association, community leaders in the area concerned will have to raise quite a big sum of money, and this is by no means easy in a poor constituency. Hence. the entire cost of building a community centre should be borne by the People's Association. In other words, the People's Association should be responsible for rebuilding or expanding an existing community centre. At the same time, community leaders must also raise funds not less than $200,000.”
“Poor combustion in the engines of ships, especially during start-ups, can cause black smoke emission. The Port of Singapore Authority will take the necessary action against ships which emit black smoke within the port limits.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of Object Group 1210 of Subhead Code UD-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, in the context of a clean and green Singapore, Telok Blangah stands high on the scale as a pleasant urban constituency, and residents of Telok Blangah, like all Singaporeans, are equally proud of their homes. This is manifested by the time, effort and monetary investments that they have put in to furnish their homes. Furthermore, I feel the Anti-Pollution Unit has done and is still doing a good job in combating pollution. With this in mind, I wish to seek the assistance of this Unit to investigate the causes of what I would term as "dust pollution" in the higher floors of the block of flats fronting Telok Blangah Road in my constituency. The complaint which has been brought to my attention by the Residents Committee members of that zone is that the presence of black dust particles dirties not only their homes but also any clothing hung up to dry. Fortunately, this dust pollution does not happen all the time but only when there are very strong winds. I trust that such a study could be done soon so that the situation can be remedied quickly. I can assure him that my residents will be very grateful for any assistance that the Anti-Pollution Unit can give. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Chor Yeok Eng)( In Mandarin): Sir, regarding the complaint made by the residents of Telok Blangah, my reply is that the Anti-Pollution Unit has conducted an investigation into the matter. Their findings revealed that black smoke emissions from the ships in port or in the nearby shipyard could be the source of the soot detected by the residents of Telok Blangah.”
“So I %el that the Minister should carefully consider how to develop further tourist resorts and cultural attractions so that people from all over the world will find it meaningful to come to Singapore where they can enjoy equal treatment, irrespective of the colour of their skin. We must give people abroad a good impression of our unique charac- teristics and give them the feeling that Singapore is a nice place to visit with excellent cuisines of all sons to satisfy their palate and multifarious goods to suit every fancy. Once I invited a friend to tea and he asked me whether I had tasted any Italian coffee here. I said, "No, but I had taken it while abroad." He asked me why I never knew of the existence of such a thing here. So we must promote something special about Singapore and present her as a gourmet's and shopper's paradise to the tourists. If the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board and the Government cannot actively promote better attractions for the tourists, then we cannot encourage more tourists to stay here longer than 48 hours. On the whole, measures to raise our standard of living, of course, are good. Just as the Member for Anson has said, what we have to cultivate should be the quality of the Singaporeans, not just those theorists out of mere reading of textbooks who could recite by rote or just blab away with empty talk. Such people are useless. Sir, I hope the Minister can give more thought to these items and take some solid measures to give added lustre to his policy speech in order to make it more effective and practical for the progress and prosperity of our country. Sir, I support the motion. 3.41 p.m.”
“Just now the Member for Anson has also pointed out that Singapore is a free country for culture where cultures from all over the world are gathered and displayed for all to see. Samples of world cultures found here include the Singapore Girl Bagpipers which is a good form of culture, and there are other good forms of culture also like the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. All these should be supported as they also help tourism. Tourists have come to Singapore not to visit our nightclubs because our nightclubs are not as exciting as those in other countries. So they come to Singapore for other purposes and the Minister hopes that they con stay in Singapore longer. Unless we can provide better resorts and attractive facilities, we cannot attract travellers to stay longer in Singapore. Where can tourists go in Singapore? Of course, having more gardens, good scenery and shopping centres for them to go to in the day time is not enough because they have no interesting places to go to at night. Not long ago, there were the Orchard Road bazaar and scenes at Kreta Ayer where tourists could visit. But now there are no more such interesting sights for them to see because most of the houses have been demolished by the URA. I am not suggesting that these dilapidated houses should not be pulled down to make way for development. Places like Bugis Street, which have been thriving very well and frequented by tourists, have also to make way. I do not mean that tourists like to go to such places. They come here, only to be introduced to such places by our local touts and STPB tourist guides. If they were not introduced to such places as Bugis Street, they have no better places to go to.”
“Of course, this might not be his duty. He need not be responsible for all this. What I am saying is that he did not touch upon any of these in his otherwise well-rounded Budget speech. This has some-what dimmed the lustre of this Budget statement. Why could he not clarify the Government's move to levy taxes on such items? Of course, I can realise that the purpose of increased taxation on cars and other items was to reduce traffic congestion and improve road communication in Singapore rather than for revenue. But he did not explain to the House the reason for all these measures. So that what little lustre there is in his Budget speech has been dimmed. There is also another point concerning the various concessions on taxes. There is nothing beneficial to cultural and artistic activities. Whatever tax concessions there are do not cover or benefit cultural activities. Last year, I mentioned that organisations such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra Company and other cultural organisations should be supported by the Government. In his Budget speech, he has not made any reference to this. This has greatly disappointed me. I do not mean that the Government should specially lend support to such culture like yellow culture or decadent type of pop culture as mentioned by the Member for Anson which would turn our city state into another Copenhagen. I am not asking the Minister to give support to such decadent sub-cultures. But he has not thought fit to encourage our healthy cultural activities here which we should support as they would also help tourism. Thus the aim of the Minister to promote Singapore as a tourist destination is not being encouraged. There is another point about tourism which I hope the Minister will ponder well.”
“In the UK, to overcome this problem, they have slightly successfully experimented with "thin and thick sandwich" courses which combine theoretical study with practical applications. It would be worthwhile to consider adopting a similar approach. To ensure a balance, the selection of lecturers with both theoretical and practical experiences is important. No doubt bona fide practising data processing professionals should be called upon to advise on the curriculum. 7 Need to Regularise Computer Profession After completing the control loop, we should now operate it. In view of the Government emphasis on computerisation, the highest degree of professionalism in data processing is important. I suggest that Government patronage in setting up an institution or association of professionals is desirable - similar to those of the lawyers, accountants and doctors. This would help ensure that the standard of professionalism would be brought up and maintained at an acceptable level. On that note, Sir, I wish to thank once again the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry for his go-getter budget. 3.32 p.m. Mr Lai Tha Chai (Henderson)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I feel that our Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Goh Chok Tong, has presented a better and more steady Budget this year than that of lest year. It is a more farsighted Budget which reflects the needs of our country in the changing Eighties. I feel it merits our praise. Yet I cannot give full marks to him. The reason is that in such a sure-footed Budget statement, he has not mentioned something that is, in accordance with my personal view, very important. Before his statement, the Government has already increased taxes and tariffs on water, gas and electricity, taxes on vehicles, road tax and others.”
“To be able to attract the right kind of people into these two departments is not enough. To retain them after they have sufficient experience is an important, if not more important matter as the investment involved in the costs of training is very high. To lose people after being trained is, therefore, not a sound proposition. 4 Audit Department To ensure that the computers are properly run, of course, we have got to ensure that the Audit Department is also geared to meet this new challenge at the same time. "Auditing round the computer" is no longer desirable nor possible as now computer concepts and new computers are being introduced. "Auditing through the computer" is therefore necessary. The Audit Department must be appropriately geared. I trust this is being done and, I hope, will be done with the same speed that computers were acquired. 5 EDBs Proposal for a Japan-Singapore Information Technology Institute. The proposal for this Institute is excellent and opportune, especially when the need for data processing (dp) practitioners is great and the supply is small. As we shall be thinking in terms of producing 10-15,000 Singaporeans trained in data processing in the next 10 years, it would be worthwhile to ensure that quality would not be sacrificed for the sake of quantity because mass production has the tendency of producing substandard goods. In this connection, I suggest that the views of professionals, bona fide professionals, be sought as to ways and means of ensuring quality control. 6 Tertiary Institutions To complete the control loop, we need the tertiary institutions to produce more computer science graduates. Experiences in other countries have shown that the computer science graduates they produce tend to be academics. They lack practical experience.”
“I suggest that they should be mindful of their statutory objectives at all times, and should concentrate on their in-house needs. Otherwise, there would be a strain on the limited manpower available in Singapore. 3 Computer Services Department and Management Services Department With the push for computerisation, two departments, namely, the Computer Services Department (CSD) and the Management Services Department (MSD), come into the limelight. I am concerned to note that in the Public Accounts Committee Report of 1978 it stated: 'It would appear that neither the CSD nor the MSD is engaged in a positive effort to identify areas where computerisation would increase efficiency and productivity.' I trust that this situation has changed or et least is being considered for a change. It would be beneficial for the services that could be provided by both the CSD and the MSD to be properly publicized amongst both the Government Ministries and statutory boards. Possibly the Civil Service Institute, in conjunction with these two departments, could organise appropriate appreciation courses for the various Ministries. I propose that in order to ensure a more positive thrust in the fields of automation, mechanisation and computerisation with a view to increasing efficiency and productivity, the two departments should work as one entity. Computers, like all mechanical means, are as good as the people who operate them. CSD and MSD should make specific and concerted efforts to attract and retain the right kind of people. It is encouraging to note that from the Establishment List the people in the computer services has been increased. It is my hope that they would be just as successful and continue to be successful in attracting and retaining these people.”
“As an approach to ensure flexibility, I propose that this body examine the desirability of proceeding with the concept of what is known as distributed processing in computers. This has been said to offer flexibility and yet give effective centralised control. 2 Under-Utilisation of Computer Power. Obviously, when Ministries and statutory boards start to acquire their own in-house computing power, under-utilisation would result in order to cater for their "peak-usage." Based on a recent Public Accounts Committee Report, the Computer Services Department, for instance, has used only 50% of its computing power. I rather suspect that with some of the statutory boards, the percentage of computer utilisation could even be less than this. Any gross under-utilisation is undesirable because it represents wasteful duplication. Judging by the experience to-date of Government and statutory boards in computerisation, I am not at all sure that a thorough evaluation has been conducted prior to the acquisition of these large computers. This apparent gross under-utilisation tempts me to conclude that in some instances they might have bought the computer first, then decide what to do with it later. I am deeply concerned that with the Government accent on computerisation, the Management of statutory boards in particular may overreact and jump into computerisation as the "in-thing" to do. This "keep up with the Joneses" syndrome is too expensive for taxpayers. Apparently, it is becoming more fashionable for statutory boards to acquire large computers (some through privately incorporated companies) and go into marketing computing power on a commercial basis. Are these in line with their statutory objectives which, I believe, are to serve the members of the public better?”
“3 of 1973): 'It is the view of your Committee that serious consideration should now be given by the Ministry of Finance to the desirability of centrally co-ordinating the requirements for computer services, the carrying out of feasibility studies and purchase of computers by ministries, Government departments and statutory institutions with the view to achieving maximum utilisation of computers at the most economic cost. The objectives are to avoid wasteful duplication in the acquisition of computers and training and use of trained personnel and the full utilisation of computers and expertise by time-sharing.' I fully support this recommendation and I am proud to call those PAC members, my contemporaries in the computer profession. However, regrettably this recommendation needed to be reiterated in 1976. Obviously, it was not satisfactorily accepted. To make it worse, in 1979, it again had to be reiterated. Why? With the advent of technology, computer hardware has dropped in price most significantly. Therefore, proliferation without proper control is made easier. This could mean unnecessary wastage due to duplication of manpower and machine. To ensure that the taxpayer's money is put to good use, a more effective body to exercise such control would be desirable and urgently required. However, sufficient flexibility must also be exercised by this body so as not to stifle healthy growth and creativity. In short, we should have a central body to control all mechanisation, automation and computerisation for the Government Ministries and statutory institutions but tempered with a fair measure of flexibility.”
“' This far-sightedness in the field of computerisation augurs well for the Government because I feel it is the appropriate time for Singapore to seriously consider extensive as well as intensive computerisation, especially when we intend to restructure our economy. However, it is important for us to remember that the computer is not a panacea - a cure for any management or administrative ailments. It has its pitfalls. I would like to submit my comments and observations on this area because it is important that the Government, especially those people who will be executing this policy do not get over-zealous in going into computerisation. This computerisation danger has already occurred in several other countries and large organisations. Computers are essentially management tools - a means to an end, not an end in itself. Like a drug in the hands of a doctor, it is a cure. In the hands of the uninitiated, it would be disastrous. Therefore, I believe it may be necessary for us to consolidate our position because, over the last four to five years, several Ministries and departments, particularly the statutory boards, have gone to town and bought several large computers. It is always worthwhile to take one stop back in order to progress three steps forward, especially in the right direction. Let us review the position of our control loop by examining: 1 Need for centrally co-ordinating the requirements of computer services. As early as 1973, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was concerned with the proliferation of computers in Government Ministries and statutory boards and recommended in the Second Report of the Public Accounts Committee (Paper Parl.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to congratulate the Honourable Minister for Trade and Industry for what is generally considered as a good Budget. I support his Budget, especially when it has been formulated on the basis of financial prudence and development objectives with a good measure of forward-looking and positiveness. Although, like all honest taxpayers, I would like to see more tax reductions, we must, however, be pragmatic and thankful for these concessions when we look at the troubled backdrop within which the Singapore economy has been operating. Therefore, the idea of lowering the tax rates across the board to afford reliefs from inflation is very much welcomed. I am delighted to note that the taxpayers in the first taxable bracket will, on average, pay only 1% of their incomes in tax and the others are given tax reductions commensurate with their bigger tax liabilities. I am furthermore cheered by the aim of the Government to further reduce the levels of personal income tax in the next two to three years until the maximum effective rate is no more than the company rate of income tax, i.e. 40%. On the Government development strategies for the Eighties, it is commendable, especially for the Government's objective under Services Development and, in particular, its emphasis on increased productivity through automation, mechanisation and computerisation. I wish to quote a paragraph from his Budget speech: 'With our high investment in tertiary education and the knowledge potential of our population, computer services is a crucial area to concentrate on. We shall be using more computers ourselves to improve our pro- ductivity. Government departments and statutory boards will increase their use of computers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, currently each group of accountants can vote in its own group only, i.e. public accountants vote in PAS candidates and registered accountants vote in RAS candidates. Would the Minister then consider removing the restriction on voting by group only, thereby allowing registered accountants to vote in both RAS candidates and PAS candidates, and public accountants to do likewise? This would ensure that the Council member has been voted in by the popular choice of the whole membership. The group representation on the Council could, however, be left as it is.”
“To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry what are the plans to enlarge the facilities of Sentosa Island to make it more attractive to both Singaporeans and the tourists. 28.”